More disquieting than the questions themselves is the order in which Lady Bracknell asks them. Before she even gets to such matters as income and family, she wants to know if Jack smokes, and she is pleased to hear that he does, since she considers smoking an antidote to idleness.
Why did Lady Bracknell interview Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest?
- Lady Bracknell then interviews Jack to determine Jack’s eligibility as a possible son-in-law. Jack seems to be giving all the right answers, until Lady Bracknell inquires into his family background.
Contents
- 1 Why does Lady Bracknell disapprove of Jack?
- 2 How does Lady Bracknell describe Jack?
- 3 How does Lady Bracknell feel about Jack and Gwendolen’s engagement?
- 4 Do you smoke Importance of Being Earnest?
- 5 Why won’t Lady Bracknell approve the engagement yet?
- 6 When Lady Bracknell interviews Jack How does Wilde satirize the mindless and pompous mentalities and lifestyles of the British aristocracy?
- 7 How would you describe Lady Bracknell?
- 8 What truths does Jack tell Lady Bracknell about himself?
- 9 How is Lady Bracknell a hypocrite?
- 10 What is Lady Bracknell worried about when she learns that Algernon is engaged to Cecily?
- 11 What does Lady Bracknell think of Algernon?
- 12 How does Lady Bracknell satirize the upper class?
- 13 Why is Lady Bracknell played by a man?
- 14 What questions does Lady Bracknell ask Jack?
- 15 What must Jack produce for Lady Bracknell before he is allowed to marry Gwendolen?
Why does Lady Bracknell disapprove of Jack?
Lady Bracknell expresses her disapproval over Bunbury’s bad health. Lady Bracknell interviews Jack-as-Ernest, and finds his lack of parents very disturbing. She pronounces him unfit to court Gwendolen, unless he can produce his parents by the end of the season. She dismisses him.
How does Lady Bracknell describe Jack?
Lady Bracknell explains that Jack is the son of her poor sister, which makes him Algernon’s older brother. They embrace, as do Algernon and Cecily and Miss Prism and Dr. Chasuble, and Jack acknowledges that he has discovered “the vital Importance of Being Earnest.”
How does Lady Bracknell feel about Jack and Gwendolen’s engagement?
Lady Bracknell is scandalized. She forbids him from marrying Gwendolen and leaves the house angrily.
Do you smoke Importance of Being Earnest?
Well, yes, I must admit I smoke. I’m glad to hear of it. A man should always have an occupation of some kind.”
Why won’t Lady Bracknell approve the engagement yet?
Lady Bracknell does not think long engagements are wise because they allow the couple to get to know one another before getting married. Lady Bracknell does not want to risk the possibility that either Cecily or Algernon might have a change of heart and break the engagement.
When Lady Bracknell interviews Jack How does Wilde satirize the mindless and pompous mentalities and lifestyles of the British aristocracy?
Wilde satirizes the vacuous mentalities and lifestyles of the British aristocracy in Lady Bracknell’s interview with Jack through her valuing of ignorance, as she puts it, ignorance is a “delicate exotic fruit”. How does Oscar Wilde use the cigarette case to facilitate the exposition of the dramatic action?
How would you describe Lady Bracknell?
Lady Bracknell is first and foremost a symbol of Victorian earnestness and the unhappiness it brings as a result. She is powerful, arrogant, ruthless to the extreme, conservative, and proper. In many ways, she represents Wilde’s opinion of Victorian upper-class negativity, conservative and repressive values, and power.
What truths does Jack tell Lady Bracknell about himself?
He asks what his christened name was, and Lady Bracknell explains that it is Ernest John. So, Jack asserts that he had been speaking the truth all along: His name is Ernest, and he does have a brother.
How is Lady Bracknell a hypocrite?
One of the most prominent uses of hypocrisy in the play is through Lady Bracknell’s refusal to consent for marriage between Jack and Gwendolen, and then giving consent for a marriage between Algernon and Cecily. Lady Bracknell’s opinion on Cecily changed as soon as she discovered her riches.
What is Lady Bracknell worried about when she learns that Algernon is engaged to Cecily?
What is Lady Bracknell worried about when she learns that Algernon is engaged to Cecily? She fears that, like Jack, Cecily lacks family relations.
What does Lady Bracknell think of Algernon?
Lady Bracknell objects to Algernon’s attentions to his chronically ill friend. Algernon uses Mr. Bunbury, his fictional invalid friend, to weasel out of social commitments, a pattern that she has noted. Her response parodies smug self-centeredness in her disdain for other people’s petty problems.
How does Lady Bracknell satirize the upper class?
Lady Bracknell possesses the moral ambiguity evident in several members of the upper class in the play. In this way, she satirizes the upper class’s propensity towards immoral behavior and a rather hypocritical pair of beliefs that doing bad is the only way to feel good and doing good will not have the same effect.
Why is Lady Bracknell played by a man?
A man can play Lady Bracknell because she is sexless. Many great actresses have played Lady Bracknell with a notion that she has a sense of humour, which is completely wrong, or that she is fond of her nephew, Algie.
What questions does Lady Bracknell ask Jack?
She dismisses her daughter to the carriage and takes out a notebook and pen to record Jack’s answers. The first question she asks is whether he smokes, and Jack replies that he does. Lady Bracknell is pleased because “a man should always have an occupation of some kind” (12).
What must Jack produce for Lady Bracknell before he is allowed to marry Gwendolen?
On top of that, when he asks for Gwendolen’s hand in marriage from her mother, Lady Bracknell, Jack must reveal that he is an orphan who was left in a handbag at a train station. This is very disturbing to Lady Bracknell, who insists that he produce at least one parent before she consents to the marriage.